Audrey Metz
Audrey W. Metz was a thirty-three year-old housewife who disappeared on October 30, 1938; the night of Orson Welles' infamous War of the Worlds radio broadcast. Her whereabouts would remain a mystery for decades afterward. History Audrey was the wife of Felton Metz and the mother of Robert Metz (who went by "Dobber"). Their marriage was a loving one at first, but Felton was unemployed for three years, which put a strain on their marriage. Felton's pride caused him to put on a suit everyday and leave for an empty office, refusing to accept help. One day, while Audrey was in waiting for food at a bread-line, she was approached by Buzz Moran, manager of the Palomar Ballroom, who offered her a job as a taxi dancer. Audrey accepted, not telling her husband. On her first night there, she made friends with another young woman working there named Penny Centavo. When an unruly sailor attempted to get more than a dance out of Audrey, a mysterious man named Will Paige stood up for her. Will was an inventor, already retired, who had enough money to live comfortably through the the Depression. He and Audrey soon bonded and would buy up all her dance tickets each night so she wouldn't have to dance. Instead, they simply sat and talked. Will told her of his late wife and how he'd dealt with her illness until she was gone. Unfortunately, their conversation was interrupted when Felton showed up, angry at discovering where Audrey had been working. He took Audrey and left without seeing Will. At home, Audrey calmed Felton down and assured him no one would find out what she was doing. Felton accepted this, wistfully recalling a time when Audrey had thought of him as her hero. Moments later, Penny arrived on their doorstep, badly bruised. Her fiancé Crick had tried to get her to sell herself and had beaten and choked her when she refused. Audrey took Penny to the hospital. Penny, resentful of Audrey's growing bond with Will, told her a secret about Will; his wife was still alive. She had undergone a lobotomy to treat her bipolar symptoms, which only left her good as dead, though it's unclear if Penny knew this. When Will next approached Audrey at the dance hall, he offered her a dance ticket that said "ALWAYS" on it, wanting to start a new life with Audrey. Audrey, however, revealed that she knew Will's wife was alive, wanting nothing more to do with him. Sometime later, Audrey was at home with Felton and Dobber listening to the radio when Orson Welles' War of the Worlds. Like many in the country, they all thought the fictional account of a Martian invasion was real. They quickly got ready to flee to safety. Audrey left, supposedly to look for the family dog, but instead found herself going to the dance hall, where Will was alone. At what appeared to be the end of the world, the two reconciled and shared an intimate kiss. Audrey then hurried home. When she got there, she found Felton waiting for with Dobber up in bed. Felton told her the "invasion" had all been a hoax. He also knew she'd gone to see someone. Audrey tried to explain that their marriage had died years ago and appealed to him to stop pretending otherwise. Felton only became angrier, however and finally snapped and strangled Audrey. He then dumped her body down in a well. Audrey's disappearance led to countless rumors about what had happened to her. Some, like her friend Elmer Gibbins, thought she really had been abducted by Martians. Others thought it was the Germans. There were sightings for the next twenty years. Someone saw her scuba-diving in Jamaica. Another believed she was working as a spy in Berlin. Audrey's true fate was finally revealed in when her remains were found at the bottom of the well. An investigation began with Philadelphia Homicide detectives questioning Audrey's surviving acquaintances, including Dobber, Will, Penny, and Elmer. Their investigation ultimately led back to Felton, now an elderly, barely coherent man with Alzheimer's, and one of Philly's most infamous mysteries was finally solved. Metz, Audrey Category:Deceased Category:Murder Victims